The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) through the support of Meta successfully concluded its, one-of-its-kind initiative, the XR Open Source (XROS) Fellowship program for Indian developers, and organized the Graduation Day to felicitate the developers. The program supported 100 developers working on XR technologies by enabling them to contribute to the open-source XR projects in collaboration with leading institutions and companies in XR who were project partners to the program.
The program’s journey began with 10,000 registrations, underscoring the eagerness of Indian developers to explore the limitless possibilities offered by XR, and through a rigorous evaluation process, 100 developers were short-listed for contributions to 38 open-source projects listed by 24 partner organizations with the commitment in accelerating India’s contribution in building the XR ecosystem and creating India-specific solutions along the way. Throughout this program, selected developers were provided with a unique platform to exchange ideas, learn, collaborate and work on cutting-edge projects in the XR (extended reality).
Over 65 per cent of the developers are from smaller cities and towns across India and about 20 per cent of the selected fellows are women developers. The Fellows worked on open source metaverse projects across a number of use-cases including spatially powered smart wearable devices, 3D atlas of human anatomy helping the medical ecosystem understand the human anatomy in a 3D world, VR accessibility toolkit to aid accessibility for specially-abled individuals in immersive experiences, an Indic metaverse with heritage site tours and cultural experiences and viable web solutions for AR and VR to enable immersive experiences across a wide variety of hardware form factors.
Present at the FICCI XROS Fellowship Summit, Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said, “Delighted to witness the success of the FICCI XROS Fellowship program to support Indian developers to make them excel in XR technologies under the industry expert’s guidance. Undoubtedly, this kind of initiative will be a growth enabler towards harnessing our immense technological potential and reinforcing India’s position as a global tech leader. This visionary approach in catalyzing India’s journey towards a digitally empowered future is a significant step.”
Speaking about the partnership on the program, Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and President and CEO of, National E-Governance Division, Government of India said, “In the evolving open-source ecosystem of XR technology in the various sectors, Initiatives like FICCI XROS Fellowship Program equipped the young tech-savvy Indians with the skills, mentorship, and industry exposure to yield their contribution to our growing technological landscape. It’s not merely a program; it’s the key to unlocking the true potential of Indian developers in XR and metaverse, fueling their ascent to global prominence. We are glad to be a part of this initiative.”
Ashish Kulkarni, Chair of FICCI AVGC-XR Forum said, “Empowering Indian developers through the XROS Fellowship Program has been transformative. It’s a gateway for our tech community to lead in XR. The collaboration with Meta and government partners has seeded a vibrant ecosystem, driving innovation in immersive technologies. For FICCI, fostering such programs aligns with our commitment to catalyze technological advancements. Enabling these initiatives promotes India’s tech prowess, aligning with FICCI’s vision to propel our nation as a hub of technological innovation and growth. FICCI has been championing the cause of Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics &XR”
Shivnath Thukral, Director and Head of Public Policy — India, Meta said, “India will be at the forefront of these emerging technologies and as partners to the country’s digital transformation, we are excited by the enthusiasm of the young developers for our initiative. It is heartening to see the successful implementation of this program and an empowered set of developers who can use these technologies for innovating for India.”
The event featured engaging panel discussions around open-source and XR which are critical components of Internet 3.0, how XR technologies’ play a key role in enabling businesses and along with Metaverse showcases by partners and fellows. It also witnessed the participation of distinguished industry leaders, and they appreciated the program’s contribution to the advancement of the open-source ecosystem of XR in India.